


Family

by highlytrainedfangirl



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, i just needed an excuse for Magnus and Max to meet ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-19 16:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9450659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highlytrainedfangirl/pseuds/highlytrainedfangirl
Summary: Alec needs to help the others on an important mission but he has to look after Max. Who would he ever turn to for help but a certain warlock?





	

It's wasn't uncommon for the Lightwood parents to appear and and disappear at random. What was uncommon, however, was the appearance of Max along with them.  
The youngest Lightwood sibling watched in silence as figures rushed around him in panic. Yet another catastrophe was taking place and none of the adults thought to explain it to him. Above the noise he heard his parents talking to Alec and Izzy. Trying to follow the sounds, he pushed determinedly forwards through the the swarming masses.

 

“We can't look after him either! We all have to help out here.”  
“Isabelle, please. Your father and I have been summoned back to Idris. We would take Max back with us, but it's too dangerous.”  
Alec cut in, “well leaving him here isn't going to be much safer.” He gestured to the chaos around them.  
Maryse looked at him with an impressive combination of exhaustion and stubbornness, “that's why we need one of you to stay and look after him. It won't be for long.” At the two siblings’ looks of protest she simple stated, “this is not up for discussion. We're leaving; take care of him.”

 

When Alec turned around he found the small boy standing beside Izzy, curiously watching them. When Izzy saw where he was looking, she crouched down and looked at Max, “Mom and Dad are going back to Idris, but you're going to have to stay here, ok?”  
He nodded, trying to hide the excitement in his eyes. He'd never been allowed to stay anywhere without his parents before. And in the middle of a crisis too.

 

Fifteen minutes later found Alec, Izzy, Clary and Jace huddled round a table in one of the few vacant rooms, Max sitting in a nearby chair, oblivious. Everyone else sat and watched as Alec and Izzy argued.  
“I'm not missing out on this mission. It's too dangerous, you need me there.”  
“Alec, one of us has to look after him and I'm the only one who knows where the vamp nest is.”  
“I'm not letting you go there alone!”  
“Enough!” Clary interrupted. Look, we all want to go, but someone has to stay behind.”  
With an overly-sweet smile Izzy responded, “thanks for volunteering.”  
“Hey! That's not what I meant! Why should I babysit him?”  
And so the argument continued.  
After another five minutes passed, the four all continued to fight, Jace now having been dragged into the fray.  
“Ok, no. We're not doing this, we're wasting time.” As clary spoke she walked over to one of the desks and pulled out four pens, three black, one blue, and removed the lids. “Easy way to settle this,” she cupped her hands around the lids and held the arms out to Jace, “pick.”  
“This is so childish.” Through an irritated sigh, he picked a pen lid out of her hand without looking. Izzy and Alec then followed suit, leaving clary with just one clenched in her fist.  
As the each unfurled their fists, a blue pen lid was revealed sitting on Alec's palm.  
“Looks like you drew the short straw.”  
The others could tell from his face that he was about to object, but a glare from Izzy silenced him.

 

Any other day Alec would have been grateful to spend time with his youngest sibling. His parents were always away in Idris and Max was rarely allowed to come to the institute with them. But, as happy as Alec wanted to be, he couldn't help worrying about the others. There was so much potential for something to go wrong.  
Half an hour of rune lessons later, Alec revived a frantic call from Izzy begging for him to come help.  
“Alec, we need back up! They were waiting for us-“  
Izzy’s frantic fries were cut of by the sounds of dreams in the background.  
Alec was already grabbing every weapon within reach before the line went dead. It was only when Max curiously asked where he was going that he remembered he was there.  
He couldn't just leave Max. But he couldn't take him either.

 

Perhaps it was the panic of hearing the others in danger clouding his judgment, but after struggling to find a solution to his predicament, Alec found himself standing outside the apartment of one Magnus Bane.  
He wasn't really sure what to say the the warlock when the door swung open (although for a completely different reason than usual).  
“Alexander, to what do I owe the pleasure?” The smile dropped from Magnus’ face when he saw the panic on his face. “Is everything ok?”  
“I… um…” how was he supposed to word this? “Everyone else is out on a mission but it went wrong and they need my help, but, I, uh, well… the reason I didn't go was because I had to stay and look after Max..” He gestured to the young shadowhunter at his side. He knew he was just rambling, but he didn't know how to word it. Of all the requests Magnus had received from them in recent months, this would definitely be the most unusual. Why had he even thought to ask Magnus in the first place?  
When Alec looked up he saw the startled look on Magnus’ face the second before it disappeared back into his usual calm mask. He clearly understood why Alec was there and shared his confusion at the request.  
The warlock looked close to saying no, but the other man's agitation was enough to make him accept. “I'll look after him for you, but,” he added with a smirk, “you'll have to make it up to me.” He winked before gesturing for the two to follow him inside.  
Sighing gratefully, Alec nudged a hesitant Max into the apartment.  
Crouching to his brother’s height, Alec tried to reassure him, “it's okay Max, it's just for a little bit. Okay? I'll be back soon. Magnus is really nice, you'll be fine here.” A small nod was all Alec needed.  
From the other side of the room Magnus called out, “if you know where the others are I can portal you. It'll be much quicker than walking.”  
Alec hurried to where Magnus was leaving Max standing alone in the centre of the large living room.

 

Once Alec left an awakened silence hung in the air. Magnus really had no clue how to act around the youngest Lightwood sibling and he seemed equally unsure.  
After a moment of hesitant hovering in the centre of the room, a look of determination came over the small boy and he marched up to where Magnus stood.  
“You're Magnus Bane.”  
“Yes.” As he spoke he resumed working, sorting through various newly acquired bottles and boxes.  
“The warlock.”  
“That's High Warlock of Brooklyn to you,” maybe his usual confidence would help him out here.  
A small grin flashed across the young boy’s face before he started talking in a tone that was far to conversational for the subject matter. “My parents hate you.”  
It seemed this child had no verbal filter.  
“They've been talking about you a lot recently. Especially when they talk about Alec.”  
Oh no. This couldn't be good. Magnus didn't want to think of what the poor boy might have overheard his parents saying about him and their eldest son.  
“I mean they never liked you because they always said you were bad because you're a downworlder.” As the young shadowhunter continued his never-ending flow of words, he spoke in a light tone, as if discussing the weather. He seemed completely oblivious to the reaction of the man he was speaking to.  
“They said that you ruined Alec.” For the first time Max’s voice dropped and Magnus felt his heart sink. “But I know that not true.”  
The warlock couldn’t stop his head snapping up at that.  
“Alec the happiest he's ever been. Except when he's around Mom and Dad. Then he just looks angry. But all the rest of the time he's super happy. I heard him talking to Izzy about you and he was smiling so much. So I really like you because you've made my brother so happy.”  
Max was still rambling on, but the words fell on deaf ears. Magnus had never heard anyone talk about him the way that this small boy was. Not a shadowhunter.  
He tried ignoring the fluttering feeling in his stomach at the blunt words about his and Alec relationship.  
As if he didn't understand the importance of his words to Magnus, Max kept going, words falling out of his mouth fast as ever. It took a moment for Magnus to realise he'd spaced out and they young boy was still talking about him.  
“-so cool. I've always wanted to meet a warlock. Can you do magic? I love magic. But Mom gets mad at me when I start talking about it because apparently downworlders can't be trusted. I think you can though because I've read so many books about magic and the wizards in those are always so cool. Please can you do magic for me, pleeeeaaaase?” Max was practically whining and staring up at him with hopeful eyes.  
With a small flick of his wrist blue sparks shot across the room, fading into tangled trails of smoke.  
Max’s eyes went so wide, they almost drowned his face.  
Maybe there was hope for future shadowhunters.

 

Trudging back through the packed streets, Alec tried to keep his foul mood off his face. He knew he wasn't succeeding.  
Once he reached the others he found that not only had the vamps been expecting them, but the nest was twice the size they thought. Thank the Angel no one was seriously injured. Though there were a lot of close calls.  
Everyone else headed back to the institute to recover while Alec made a slight detour. It was unfair to have left Magnus to babysit for so long already, he wasn't going to make it longer just because he waned a nap.  
He wasn't sure what he expected to see when he entered Magnus’ apartment, but whatever it was, it wasn't what he saw.  
Magnus was sat on the sofa, Max scooted close to his side with a book on his lap. As Max read his book aloud, Magnus was creating beautiful images in the air in front of them. A dragon made of shimmering blue smoke danced through the open room. Every time Max would start reading he would get mesmerised by the magic display in front of him. Alec could understand. It was incredible.  
Unable to keep the grin off his face, Alec slowly walked into the room, making sure the other two heard him approaching.  
When they looked up, Magnus had a contented smile while Max just looked disappointed.  
“Does this mean I have to leave?” His voice was practically begging to stay and both men found it absolutely adorable.  
After Magnus gave him a tiny nod Alec said, “no Max, we can stay for a bit longer.” The smile at his words lit the entire room.  
Alec lowered himself onto the sofa on Max’s other side. He was squashed between the two men, but Max didn't seemed to care. If anything, he seemed happier. He gleefully read, watching as Magnus brought the book to life before his eyes.  
By the time the book was over Max was partially sitting in the two men’s laps. Alec and Magnus sat side by side, with Max more on top of them rather than between. Alec had one arm holding his brother in place and the other wrapped around his boyfriend’s waist. It was comfortable. It was peaceful. And when the looming dark outside forced the Lightwood siblings to depart, no one was willing to be the first to move.  
Max could only be persuaded to return to the institute with the promise that they could come back a visit Magnus again soon.  
Somehow it became a regular occurrence whenever Max was in the institute. Alec would find some excuse to look after him and the two would visit Magnus together.  
(Not that their mother would ever find out about that)

**Author's Note:**

> This has so many plot holes… I just needed an excuse for Magnus and Max bonding because they're just so adorable!!
> 
> Also I had no idea how to title this so if anyone has any suggestions they'd really be appreaciated


End file.
